August 17, 2017 has become a milestone day for The Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), especially for the Outreach team. On that day, using all the energy and enthusiasm of IMO members, the long-awaited puppet show “Tony Tonina: Fins in Action” was premiered. This initiative was inspired by the first season of the kids’ cartoon series “The Scientific Recipe of Tony Tonina” (A project funded by the “Explora” program of the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research, CONICYT).
The puppet show, sponsored by CONICYT, includes the participation of well-known Concepción actors George Soto and Gonzalo Ramirez, who have a long experience in the theatrical arts and bring to life the main characters of the series, such as Tony, Lala, Estelita, Don Gritardo and Micro, as well as new characters like Pingui.
“We put all our efforts into making the visual project attractive to children. It was interesting to include scientific facts,” said George Soto. His colleague also emphasized that it had been extremely stimulating. “During the rehearsals we have integrated more text and improvisation. Since we work with already existing characters, there is a lot of raw material to work with,” he concluded.
It was a laborious task that took years and was conceived in different formats although there was only one project. “It’s a dream come true. We worked on the cartoon series for more than a year and after that on the puppet show. This premiere is a very special event, because Tony and his friends were imagined as puppets from the beginning. The idea evolved into a cartoon show at first and now the live puppet show brings something extra to it. We are very glad that Tony Tonina has finally arrived,” exclaimed Pablo Rosenblatt, Outreach director at the IMO.
In addition, it is important to point out that the puppet show came together with another of the successful activities of the Outreach team: the Itinerant Scientific Audiovisual Exhibition (MACI). This exhibition was taken on a journey to spread knowledge of marine sciences not only within the Biobío Region, but also in Antofagasta, Valparaiso and Punta Arenas. In this respect, deputy director of the Outreach team and marine biologist Barbara Léniz highlights the added value of bringing together the two projects on one day. “This means that we are offering a comprehensive, educational, fun activity, in which science, the arts, videos, games and music all play a part in giving children the curricular contents and a consciousness-raising message about the care of the ocean and its inhabitants. The idea is for children to fall in love with marine sciences and learn from them while having fun and getting to know the characters, who at the same time represent Chilean marine species.”
The team behind Tony Tonina, in both its animated and mini video game versions and now the puppet show, is formed by an interdisciplinary group of professionals, which increases the value of the project. The members of this group are graphic designers Irlin Barrera and Geraldine Corbinaud, science teacher Tamara Luna, marine biologist Belén Franco, computer engineer Edwin Rodriguez and journalist Jean Pierre Molina, who is in charge of communications. The team also has the help of the Imago producer team in Santiago, who bring the TV series to life thanks to a group of animators and illustrators.
Tony Tonina and his gang have four more shows planned in the Biobio Region in 2017, and it is available for other communes and educational institutions in the region. For more information about Tony Tonina, please visit www.tonytonina.cl.
